Always
by toxic-dreamer-2
Summary: “I..I’m..s-sorry.” he choked out- and he knew his brother understood exactly what he meant to convey with those two words.


**Okay...why do I keep posting more tmnt stuff, when I clearly haven't updated my already existing stories?! AH! More ideas keep creeping in my head! Thankfully this is a one-shot, and I don't have to worry about making more chapters- and hopefully get back to my other stories. **

**Prepare yourself.....Muahahaha!**

**I own nothing!**

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He'd seen the man pull out the gun, heard the loud crack as it fired, and knew even as his brother yelled out his name that he would not be able to avoid the hit. Still the impact sent him staggering back, both from force and from shock. Pain irrupted a second later, as if his brain had simply not been able to acknowledge it at fist, and a strangled cry tore from his lips as his shell connected solidly with the wall behind him. His eyes shut tight against the agony in his chest as he tried to keep himself upright, but ended up sliding slowly to the ground, his breathing coming out in short painful gasps, one hand already pressed against the wound.

'Shell'

He tried to focus on the fight that was surely continuing without him, but he could barely open his eyes or even lift his head at the moment. He was a trained Ninja, he should have been able to ignore the pain and go on, but it was overwhelming.

'Raph.' he thought, desperate. 'Raph's fighting alone. I..I need to…'

He tried to move, commanding his body to get up and join his brother, but it was a futile effort, only causing himself further discomfort, and he slumped against the wall again; frustrated and hurt.

'Hope you got this, bro.' He thought, using one hand to keep himself sitting up, and the other pressing against the wound on his chest. 'I'm not going to be much help right now.'

He didn't dare look at the damage himself, but could feel the warmth of blood as it escaped past his hand and down his plastron. It hurt to move; it hurt to even breathe, but he knew he needed something to help stop the blood flow and fast.

With great effort he lifted his arms- the action causing a spasm of pain to shoot through his chest- and with slightly shaky hands he quickly untied his mask, pulling the material off, bunching it up, and pressing it against the wound.

He groaned at the pain this caused, head dipping forward, eyes still closed.

'Just breathe.' he told himself. 'Don't think about the pain. Distance yourself from it. Just keep breathing.'

He felt himself drift off as he continued this mantra, slipping into a slightly meditative state. He wasn't sure how long he stayed this way, but he could feel the greater promise of sleep calling to him. For a moment he almost let it take him, but with a sudden fierce jolt he realized how dangerous that would be, and his fear forced himself to come back.

"..eo!…ap out of it! Leo!"

With great effort he forced his eyes open, blinking at the blurry sight before him. His brother, Rapheal, kneeling before him- his own mask removed and pressed against the wound in his chest along with his own bandanna. Never had he seen his brother look so conflicted- so torn between emotions like fear and despair. It caused a completely different ache in his chest, and he was determined to set his brother at ease.

"R..Raph." His voice sounded hoarse and distant in his own ears, but Raphs head snapped up to meet his slightly foggy gaze.

"Leo!" there was surprise and relief in his voice, but instantly he was frowning again, looking somewhat angry. "Damn it, bro- I've been callin' yer name for the last five minutes. If this is payback fer all the times I ignored you, then you got some pretty crappy timing, bro."

Leo felt his mouth twitch into a slight smile at his brothers words.

"Sorry, Raph." His whispered reply seemed to catch in his throat and he coughed, sending more pain through his already abused chest.

"Easy there, fearless." Raph steadied him quickly with one hand, while the other maintained pressure on his wound. "Don said ya shouldn't try movin'."

Leo barely managed a nod, his breathing becoming more labored. God, it hurt so bad.

"Yer gonna be okay, Leo." he heard his brother tell him, his voice gruff. "Don and Mikey…they're on there way here right now."

Leo felt some relief upon hearing this but the reality of the situation still weighed down on him. Swallowing painfully, he brought his attention to the wound on his chest for the first time.

Blood.

So much Blood.

He closed his eyes tightly for a moment, swallowing against the metallic taste in the back of his throat. His chest felt like it was on fire, but the rest of him felt cold and numb- his body was seized with a tremor that didn't want to let go.

"Leo??"

He forced his eyes open, but didn't lift his head. He was exhausted.

"I..I'm..s-sorry." he choked out- and he knew his brother understood exactly what he meant to convey with those two words.

"Don't." Raph grounded out, his tone low and angry. "Don't you dare even think about givin' up."

With great effort Leo managed to lift his head to meet his brother intense stare.

"R-raph…"

"I mean it, Leo." Raph insisted, determined. "I ain't about to watch you die. It's not gonna happen like that, understand??"

Leo tried to answer but choked, lurching forward slightly. Raph quickly used one hand to steady him back against the wall, where he laid propped up like a doll, before bringing it back to his chest. Raph's expression looked more anguished than angry now, noticing how much his older brother was trembling.

"Yer gonna be okay." He insisted, but his voice was thick and sounded distant even to his own ears. "You just gotta hold on a little longer, okay?"

Leo lifted his hand, which felt unnaturally heavy, and placed it over his brothers- which was still applying pressure to the wound on his chest. He could have sworn that his brother was trembling just as badly as he was, although for an entirely different reason.

Both his and his brothers hands were covered in blood, and he could see that his once blue bandanna was so soaked with it that it matched perfectly with Raph's own red one. He couldn't even tell which one was his at the moment. They were the same.

He wasn't sure why, but for some reason this thought made the corner of his mouth twitch into a smile. He felt a little lighter, weaker but better at the same time, and although some part of him knew that was probably a bad thing, the rest of him didn't seem to mind at all.

"Leo??"

He could barely lift his head, but somehow managed to at least meet his brother's gaze. Even with his slightly hazy vision, he could make out the almost pleading look on Raph's face- the concern and the panic behind his amber eyes. Before, Leo had been fearful about what was to come- afraid for the family he would be leaving behind, afraid of the dangers they would have to face without him watching over them. But now, looking at his usually hot tempered brother, it was like he'd been granted some kind of peace. He knew without a doubt that his family would be okay. They still had each other…and they had Raph too- he'd take care of them. He'd be a good leader. This caused a sudden warmth to surround him, and he offered up a fond although weak smile.

"I-it'll…b-be…o-okay."

He hoped his words were as comforting to Raph as they were to him, but his brother was slowly shaking his head, tears gathering in his eyes.

"L-Leo, ya gotta hang on, bro. Mikey and Don they…they'll be here any minute. Don, he..he'll know what to do." His words were meant to sound reassuring, but he could hear the panic in his voice. "If anyone can survive this…it's you, bro."

Leo felt the sting of tears behind his eyes at hearing the desperation in his brothers voice, and yet the complete belief in his last statement. He swallowed and spoke softly to his younger brother.

"You'll…t-take..c-care...of them."

Amber eyes met his own dark brown, and the tears that his brother so desperately had tried to fight off began to slip down his face, he shook his head more forcefully- trying to deny what was happening in front of him.

"You're wrong, bro. I can't do this without ya. I..I ain't strong enough." He clenched his eyes tight, bring one hand over top of Leo's and squeezing."Leo…Please. _Please_, bro." he begged softly. "Just stay with me, please."

Even as tears slid down his own face, Leo still regarded his brother with a fond although sad smile.

"A-always…be with y-you." He whispered as firmly as he could, managing to squeeze his brothers hand weakly in return, closing his eyes as darkness crept into his vision. "Always….l-love you..R-raph."

He heard a strangled sob from his brother and then, "Y-yeah…I know. L-love ya t-too, bro- even if I didn't say it before."

Leo felt himself smile, he knew that...but it was nice to hear.

He coughed, feeling something wet trickle out of his mouth and down his chin. Of all his brothers, he felt truly blessed that it was Raph that was here with him now. They were always at odds with one another, and Leo knew that Raph would have harbored a lot of unneeded guilt and regret if he thought that Leo hadn't known how he really felt about him. He was glad that wasn't the case- glad to part on such good terms…and the others…

"T-tell.. t-them?" He asked, his voice almost gone completely.

"Yeah." Raph replied, squeezing his hand again, understanding what his brother meant. "I'll tell 'em."

"T-thanks.." Leo let out a long sigh, feeling himself slump even further. "..so...tired.."

"I know." His brother replied, his voice softer than he had ever heard it before. "S'okay, bro. You can…you can rest now." His voice hitched and then he continued in a much more certain tone. "Don't worry. I'll take care of them. I promise."

Leo managed a weak nod before surrendering himself to the darkness, hearing the distant sounds of the shellvan and his other two brothers voices as he drifted away.

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**Okay...how many people hate me now? Even I can't believe I just did that. I mean...I hate character death, and I have nothing against Leo. I totally made my own self cry!**

**Anyway...Please review**


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